Antarctica's giant ice shelves are vulnerable to collapse, study warns

Aug 28, 2020

A 20 metre-high ice cliff forming the edge of the Wilkins Ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula is seen from a plane January 18, 2009. The huge Antarctic ice shelf is on the brink of collapse with just a sliver of ice holding it in place, the latest victim of global warming that is altering maps of the frozen continent.

Greenland’s ancient ice sheet holds enough water to raise sea levels by at least 20 feet. Image: REUTERS/Alister Doyle

Cassandra Garrison

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$The edge of an ice shelf with fractures and rifts, sea ice and icebergs floating on the ocean are seen in this satellite image taken January 17, 2014.$

The edge of an ice shelf with fractures and rifts, sea ice and icebergs floating on the ocean are seen in this satellite image taken January 17, 2014. Image: Reuters/Ching-Yao Lai

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